Iron is an essential trace element in animal and human nutrition. It is a component of heme in hemoglobin and of myoglobin, cytochromes and several enzymes. The main role of iron is its participation in the transport, storage and utilization of oxygen.
Iron deficiency was and remains a common nutritional problem not only in the developing world but also in the industrialized countries. Inadequate intake of dietary iron causes the high incidence of anemia which nutritional surveys have identified among children, adolescents and women. Since the human body does not produce minerals, it is totally dependent on an external supply of iron, either nutritional or supplementary. The importance of adequate iron intake is recognized during the whole life of the human being.
Iron(II,III) oxide is the chemical compound with formula Fe3O4. It is one of a number of iron oxides, the others being iron(II) oxide (FeO), which is rare, and iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3) also known as hematite. It occurs in nature as the mineral magnetite. It contains both Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions and is sometimes formulated as FeO.Fe2O3. Nano particles of Fe3O4 are used as contrast agents in MRI scanning. Further, Fe3O4 can be cost effectively produced. Production of Fe3O4 nano-particles can be performed chemically by taking for example mixtures of FeII and FeIII salts and mixing them with alkali to precipitate colloidal Fe3O4. The reaction conditions are critical to the process and determine the particle size.
An important feature for the iron containing compounds used as additive in a food product is the bioavailability of the iron i.e. how efficiently the iron is absorbed by the body. However, some iron containing compounds with high bioavailability are highly irritative to stomach and not being able to be used on food products, such as FeSO4. Iron powder and iron salt are disclosed in previous study as potential food additive, but the cost of producing them is relatively higher. Therefore, there is a need to search an iron containing compound with low production cost but possessing characteristics of both high bioavailability and low irritation to body.